Fontainebleau: The Hall of Excellence

I will never, ever be able to spell Fontainebleau without googling it first. I have to copy and save it to write these stupid reports. My brain just wont work if I try to spell it out. I also had to tell my spell check that its a real word, so it stopped shitting on me every time I pasted it. 

And why do they call themselves FB, if Fontainebleau is one word? So many questions! I knew the Hall of Excellence was a thing. As I saw the media coverage when it first opened here. And Tom Brady was cutting the ribbon. I also walked past it on my last stay at FB (So much easier, maybe that's why they use FB).

What I didn't know, was if it was worth the $35 to get in here. Their website doesn't show much. There aren't any YouTube videos (Not allowed they say). And the best I can see on Trip Advisor were just some random guest photos. So, here we are, with wall to wall coverage of just what's inside. 

The day I went to visit, Adam Sandler was in town for the final gig of his tour. Yes, I went to see it. And yes, he was fucking awesome! The Sandman signed a hockey stick from the new Happy Gilmore movie. And they had a display set up as soon as you walked in.

The Hall is owned by Tom Brady, who you know. And his business partner and friend Jim Gray, who you may not. I am going to be honest. I really only know football. I mean, NBA in the 90's I am good with. Local baseball like the Cubs or the Blackhawks in the NHL I know enough about to not make a fool out of myself. But that is pretty much it. Unless you are a GOAT like Gretzky, Ali, Kobe or the like. Than any red blooded American who owns a TV knows them. 

I didn't know who Jim Gray was. I only knew he was meeting me here to give me a personal tour of the Hall. I googled him. Gray has won 12 National Emmy Awards and has been named the Sports Reporter of the Year by the American Sportscasters Association three times . He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Turns out, Jim is fucking legit! I don't know many sportscasters unless they covered football. Which he really did not. Well, I know Mean Gene Okerlund. But he is a different level of famous. 

Here is a picture of my new BFF Jim Gray, as we were waiting for 3 random chicks to show up for the tour. Who they are, I don't know. Maybe other gamblers with a host who set it up? I cant say. I don't talk much to strangers. 

See, I told you he was famous!

And yup, I made him pose in front of his display. Cause, why wouldn't I? He was very nice, informative on what we were seeing. And super friendly and thankful to any visitor he saw. 

Front and center as soon as you walk in this place is a dedication to Chicago! You cant speak of Excellence without mentioning the greatest basketball player ever. Michael Jordan. Or the greatest football player ever, Walter Payton. 

Call me a homer. But Tom Brady is the QB GOAT. 7 Super Bowl wins tells the story. You can debate Jim Brown VS Walter Payton for the RB GOAT. Both have great arguments on either side. But Walter was the best football player ever. Not only did he retire with nearly every single record a running back could have. But Sweetness also tossed 8 touchdown passes. Could return kicks. Catch passes and he even punted in NFL games. And some have even said, his blocking was even better than his running.  

Walter was selfless. Dedicated. And truly worthy of being called Excellent. Seriously, who the fuck does all that? 

The last pic above is the little walkman type thingy they give you when you pay to get in. You get to keep the earbuds BTW, cause it would be gross if they reused those. For the helmet, I was told it was taken off Walter's head after the game when he set the leagues all time rushing record. 

You point and click on anything you see. And it will tell the story of that item, and most of the time even show you it in use during a game or whatnot. I did point it at Jim Gray and clicked capture. And it did nothing. So it isn't perfect. Or maybe this isn't really Jim, and its all a ruse! 

This is NOT the Hall of Sports Excellence. It is the Hall of Human Excellence. But to be sure, it mostly only covers North America. But then again, that is where everything great is. And really is mostly sports. So...

They even had some of Elvis's shit on display. You know, the GOAT of Rock. 

Above is Jim Gray both standing in the way of my photo and not. The 3 chicks who were there on the private tour had a ton of questions for him. Even dumb ones, like who is that while pointing to a photo of Muhammad Ali. Jim never once said "Are you fucking serious" to any of the stupid questions they asked him. But that is the joy of the HOE (we need to get everyone to call it the HOE). It has a little something for everyone. Even non-sports folks. 

I took pictures of the things that were of interest to me. So there is plenty more to be seen here than I am showing. When I also told Jim I would be adding this walk-through to my site, He did say not to give to all away, they still need to sell tickets. I told him he gives me way too much credit. But I will ask my dozens of readers to still drop by.

The displays themselves were gorgeous! Well laid out, and everything was the actual item it should be. And not just "Here is a jersey, like Derek Jeter could have worn". Some museums pull that shit!

According to Jim, nearly all of it is just on loan. Including that awesome Walter Payton game used helmet that started off this review. They got the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton to loan that out to them. When Tom Brady calls in a favor, you do To, Brady a favor...

Above is Jim teaching our friends something or another. He would randomly turn to me and wink. As he could see me smile during some of their questions. I mean, some of them were actually pretty OK. Like when they asked if everyone got a Super Bowl trophy. The answer is yes, but really no. The players get a smaller version to keep. I know, Mike Ditka let me hold his once when I was at his condo in Chicago. 

Everything and anything for a major US award was on display. Lots of Oprah, they must have had her on speed dial for loaners. Oprah = Chicago so I made sure to include her. 

Did you know, I once met Oprah at a gas station? She was driving herself somewhere, and asked me if I knew how to get to 294. I said yeah, eat less and start with some sit-ups. She said no, the Expressway. And we both were a little embarrassed. 

I don't give a shit about golf. But I did find it funny that they lumped Trump in with Biden and Obama. I am sure he would love to know the three of them are on display together! Also, Obama = Chicago. So...

The two people that were best represented in here were Ali & Brady. Again, GOAT's going to GOAT. And I know most people that read my shitty tales are gamblers. So just in case, a GOAT means Greatest of all Time

Why George Blanda, Michael Strahan and Steve Young had displays I cant say for sure. They were all excellent and worthy of being in the Hall. But none were top shelf players.  Sorry boys. 

John Madden on the other hand, sure as shit should be here.

And here he is. Tom Brady. Lots to see, and I assume he is the main draw for most that make it all the way down to the North End of the Strip to see this place. 

These Red Jackets were given out to the 100 Greatest Players in NFL history. Those guys were all top shelf. They created the 100th Anniversary team in 2019 for the NFL's 100th birthday. Obviously Tom Brady was on that team. Along with Walter Payton, Gale Sayers, Danny Fortmann, Doug Atkins, Bill Hewitt, Dick Butkus, Devin Hester, George Halas & my buddy Mike Ditka. They should have just called that team "The Bears and Friends" list. Chicago!

All seven of Brady's Super Bowl rings were on display. Behind bullet proof glass, tucked away on the second floor of a 24 hour guarded casino. Even if someone tried to steal these, it would be like robbing Fort Knox. Unlike the Louvre. Where those lazy French Fucks will let anyone walk in and steal from them. 

Kobe has his own case, but not much Lebron James. Maybe he didn't want to loan anything out? Or he hates Tom Brady. A lot of people hate Tom Brady. But they are all just petty bitches. 

Again, plenty more than what I have shown. If you actually wanted to stop, look and listen to the audio/video feeds on everything in here. I can see someone spending a couple hours walking around. Me? I was in and out in 30MINs. Not because I didn't like it in there. But I had more gambling to do.

For every minute I spent shooting the shit with Jim Gray or taking pictures. That is a minute lost that I could be winning a fortune. 

Was it worth the $35? Maybe. I mean, it was free for me. If I had to pay $70 for the wife and I. Plus $20e for my kids (discount ages 5-15). I do not think we would have had $110 worth of fun. But really nothing in here would have been of interest to them anyway. I would just be Jim Gray answering their dumb questions they had. 

For $35 you got the earbuds that only worked in these Zune type devices. They are the older style jacks, that plug into laptops or walkman's. Worthless to me. You also got a commemorative ticket, as seen below. For that, $35 is a lot. You can see an actual full blown all day museums in downtown Chicago for less. But this is Vegas. And nothing is cheap. Go see Wizard of Oz at the Sphere and that will run you $200 each. I shit you not!

Depending on how you value your time, and a place like this. It is either a great deal compared to other things to do in town. Or a rip off. For me, if I was paying and with my family. $35e would be better spent on all day Adventuredome ride passes at the Circus across the street. But to each their own. I am glad I saw it, and it was made cooler with Jim Gray. Who did say he drops by a lot. So if you like him, and want a selfie and an autograph, $35 is an absolute steal!